Contextualising sediment trapping and phosphorus removal regulating services: a critical review of the influence of spatial and temporal variability in geomorphic processes in alluvial wetlands in drylands

Wiener, Kenwinn Dane; Schlegel, Philippa K.; Grenfell, S.E.; Waal, Benjamin van der

doi:10.1007/s11273-022-09861-9

Cited by 7 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 220 publications

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“…Considering these trends, therefore, passive management of forest expansion (i.e., rewilding) seems to be a very cost-effective adaptive strategy for improving wetland conditions and functioning. Apart of that, other restoration techniques such as sediment trapping [163] or human-made afforestation could be also applied when erosion effects are more important. This would assure wetland conditions in case a wetland is close to clogging or receives sediment with a large amount of nutrients [164], or simply when future forests will not be able to reach specific critical locations at the base of our potential simulation [91].…”

Section: Implications For Landscape Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Forest Dynamics to Wetland Siltation in Mountainous Landscapes: A RS-Based Framework for Enhancing Erosion Control

et al. 2022

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Human activities have caused a significant change in the function and services that ecosystems have provided to society since historical times. In mountainous landscapes, the regulation of services such as water quality or erosion control has been impacted by land use and land cover (LULC) changes, especially the loss and fragmentation of forest patches. In this work, we develop a Remote Sensing (RS)-based modelling approach to identify areas for the implementation of nature-based solutions (NBS) (i.e., natural forest conservation and restoration) that allow reducing the vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems to siltation in mountainous regions. We used time series Landsat 5TM, 7ETM+, 8OLI and Sentinel 2A/2B MSI (S2) imagery to map forest dynamics and wetland distribution in Picos de Europa National Park (Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain). We fed RS-based models with detailed in situ information based on photo-interpretation and fieldwork completed from 2017 to 2021. We estimated a forest cover increase rate of 2 ha/year comparing current and past LULC maps against external validation data. We applied this forest gain to a scenario generator model to derive a 30-year future LULC map that defines the potential forest extent for the study area in 2049. We then modelled the distribution of wetlands to identify the areas with the greatest potential for moisture accumulation. We used an S2 mosaic and topography-derived data such as the slope and topographic wetness index (TWI), which indicate terrain water accumulation. Overall accuracy scores reached values of 86% for LULC classification and 61% for wetland mapping. At the same time, we obtained the potential erosion using the NetMap software to identify potential sediment production, transport and deposition areas. Finally, forest dynamics, wetland distribution and potential erosion were combined in a multi-criteria analysis aiming to reduce the amount of sediment reaching selected wetlands. We achieved this by identifying the most suitable locations for the conservation and restoration of natural forests on slopes and in riparian areas, which may reduce the risk of soil erosion and maximise sediment filtering, respectively. The results show a network pattern for forest management that would allow for controlling erosion effects across space and time at three levels: one, by reducing the load that originates upslope in the absence of forest cover; two, by intersecting runoff at watercourses related to sediment transport; and three, by a lack of former barriers, by trapping erosion near to the receiving wetland systems, main river axes and contributing streams. In conclusion, the proposed methodology, which could be transferred to other mountain regions, allows to optimise investment for erosion prevention and wetland conservation by using only very specific areas of the landscape for habitat management (e.g., for NBS implementation).

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Section: Implications For Landscape Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Forest Dynamics to Wetland Siltation in Mountainous Landscapes: A RS-Based Framework for Enhancing Erosion Control

et al. 2022

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“…The implications of alternate states for geomorphic processes and floral and faunal ecology translate through to ecosystem services, as certain wetland types may be better at delivering some specific ecosystem services than others. As Wiener et al ( 2022 ) indicate, geomorphic processes within floodplain and valley-bottom WiDs may preclude the long-term (i.e., > 50,000 years) storage of contaminants or nutrients attached to sediment. In floodplain wetlands, sediment is commonly cycled and exchanged between channel and floodplain through a combination of meander migration or floodplain stripping processes operating over centennial to multimillennial timescales (e.g.…”

Section: Synthesis Of Articles and Emergent Research Themesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In valley-bottom wetland systems, organic accretion rates in permanent, humid-region wetlands typically outstripped clastic sedimentation rates of seasonal wetlands. In addition to the potential impact of climate on sediment accumulation rates, Wiener et al ( 2022 ) postulate that seasonal cycles of desiccation of sediments in WiDs will likely strengthen phosphorus retention due to oxidation. Further, process dynamics in WiDs are equally as vulnerable as humid region wetlands to human-induced changes in riverine sediment flux, that may cause either siltation (e.g., Wolanski et al 2001 , Gell et al 2009 ) or erosion (Fryirs and Brierley 1998 ) of wetlands downstream.…”

Section: Synthesis Of Articles and Emergent Research Themesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, the work by Thomas et al ( 2022 ) provides a useful starting point for understanding how the biogeochemical processes relevant to inorganic and organic carbon storage vary across an aridity gradient, but also highlights the importance of determining the potential climatic thresholds between net C retention or net C emission, in order to make projections relating to future climate changes. The same requirement applies in terms of wetting and drying cycles in enhancing phosphate assimilation (e.g., Wiener et al 2022 ). Lastly, the role of chemical sedimentation and weathering processes in the formation of geochemical depressions ( sensu Grenfell et al 2019 ) requires further investigation.…”

Section: Revisiting the Distinct Biophysical Characteristics Of Wetla...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, Wiener at al. ( 2022 ) assembled published maximum basal ages for 18 valley-bottom type wetlands, where the mean age was 11,330 years BP. This age is exaggerated by a single outlier, however, so when omitted the mean basal age was substantially younger at 6299 years BP.…”

Section: Revisiting the Distinct Biophysical Characteristics Of Wetla...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wetlands in drylands: diverse perspectives for dynamic landscapes

Grenfell

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Wetlands Ecol Manage

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Valley‐bottom wetlands as temporary buffers for source‐to‐sink dispersal of sediment and associated phosphorus in dryland landscapes

Wiener,

Grenfell

2024

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Sediment trapping in wetlands is an essential ecosystem service, with implications for downstream ecosystems and water users. There is however limited empirical evidence of the contemporary rates and magnitude of sediment trapping in valley‐bottom wetlands. Time‐averaged suspended sediment samples from the inlets and outlets of forestry‐ and agriculturally‐impacted valley‐bottom wetlands with contrasting morphometric characteristics were compared in terms of suspended sediment and associated total phosphorous (total P) fluxes over annual scales, a dataset that was limited by Covid travel constraints. Although both wetlands were net depositional, contemporary suspended sediment mass balances for the agriculturally‐impacted wetland revealed a temporal change in the amount of sediment trapped over two water years (2019/2020 and 2020/2021), with trapping efficacies of 91% and 24%, respectively. The proportion of sediment trapped in the water year of 2020/2021 within the adjacent wetland, with a small commercially forested catchment, was up to 4 times higher than the agriculturally‐impacted wetland, which drained a larger catchment. Rates of total P retention showed that the agriculturally‐impacted wetland was a net sink for phosphorus in 2019/2020, but shifted to a source of phosphorus in 2020/2021 as the export of suspended sediment was enhanced. However, this contrasts with the forestry‐impacted wetland, which was a net sink of sediment and associated phosphorus during the one‐year study period of 2020/2021. Overall, despite data constraints, this study suggests that the efficacy of valley‐bottom wetlands in the delivery of sediment trapping and phosphorus removal ecosystem services varies temporally and spatially. This variability is potentially related to the interaction between annual rainfall regimes, catchment size and wetland geomorphic character. The temporary nature of sediment recycling processes could serve to balance wetland dynamics by regulating vertical growth of valley floors and longitudinal slope stability and should be considered in catchment management and wetland restoration planning strategies.

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Contextualising sediment trapping and phosphorus removal regulating services: a critical review of the influence of spatial and temporal variability in geomorphic processes in alluvial wetlands in drylands

Cited by 7 publications

References 220 publications

From Forest Dynamics to Wetland Siltation in Mountainous Landscapes: A RS-Based Framework for Enhancing Erosion Control

From Forest Dynamics to Wetland Siltation in Mountainous Landscapes: A RS-Based Framework for Enhancing Erosion Control

Wetlands in drylands: diverse perspectives for dynamic landscapes

Valley‐bottom wetlands as temporary buffers for source‐to‐sink dispersal of sediment and associated phosphorus in dryland landscapes

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